FIRST there were the pooper-snoopers, now a South Ribble councillor has sent a rallying cry to the borough's litter lout vigilantes.

Coun Derek Forrest, chairman of the newly created Leyland East Area Committee, called on locals to help crackdown on locals dropping litter.

He wants people to get the names of those dropping rubbish and report them to the police.

And he intends to lead by example, saying: "I am sick and tired of people ruining our borough dropping litter.

"If I see someone doing it I would consider making a citizen's arrest because it is against the law." Coun Forrest's call to mobilise the anti-litter troops came as his committee faced a barrage of complaints from angry residents about the state of the area's parks and pavements.

They asked for more bins to be installed in public places; called for more regular visits from the road sweepers; and demanded to know why on-the-spot fines weren't issued to offenders caught in the act.

But Coun Forrest said: "It's a criminal offence so people can be arrested for it.

"The police can't be everywhere but everyone knows who the offenders are. If the police get names and addresses of people seen dropping litter then we can try and tackle the problem."

Coun Forrest's plea comes just a week after another South Ribble councillor, Coun Howard Gore, appealed to residents to inform the police if they see people caught letting their dogs foul in public places.

Unlike people caught dropping litter, workers from South Ribble Borough Council have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to any pet owner who's dog fouls in a public place.

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